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While MAN B&W is riding a record orderbook, the company is far from rest- ing on its laurels, instead investing - as has been its penchant - in Research & Development to ensure its engines main- tain a dominant position powering ships at sea. — by Greg Trauthwein In May 2006 MAN B&W welcomed executives from its licensees around the globe to Copenhagen, Denmark — an event repeated every four or five years — to update them on recent technologi- cal innovations as well as to strategize on the market for the coming half decade. It was at this meeting that the company released details on several new engines currently under development, as well as turbocharger developments. The Market MAN B&W, as many other suppliers and shipbuilders have, enjoyed unprece- dented growth and record orderbooks over the past few years. When in 2001 the company announced "we have seen an unprecedented order intake for our MC brand engines," including a backlog at licensees that registered an all-time high, it was commonly thought that the ensuing four or five years would be marked by modest growth. In reality, 2001 was simply a harbin- ger of better times to come, as more MC engine power has been sold than in any previous time, and the order backlog has doubled since the 2001. Counting deliv- eries and backlog, the reference list of MC engines is approaching 200 million horsepower, and the come company estimates its current market share to be 75 percent. Driving the business, obviously, has been record levels of shipbuilding activ- ity, peaking in 2004 when more than 2,200 ships larger than 2,000 dwt were ordered. Traditional ship types — bulk carriers, tankers and containerships — are responsible for the bulk of new con- struction activity, and delivers for all three groups will remain at elevated lev- els, approaching 1,600 ships per year, through 2009. But as the shipbuilding market tradi- tionally rides a boom and bust wave, MAN B&W as well as much of the industry are approaching the coming five years with caution, as economic and transportation forecasts suggest that many maritime niches will soon enter the excess tonnage territory, traditional- ly a trigger for falling freight rates and ship prices. "Everybody in the industry is booked, everybody's busy, but it will slow down, as the market is now overheated," said Ole Grøne, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Uncertainties such as war, political unrest and the continued elevated prices for all energy will surely make the mar- ket even more unpredictable, but fol- lowing basic supply and demand projec- tions, supply of new tonnage in many sectors should surpass demand in a few years. While continuing to serve its tradition- al markets, MAN B&W has investigated a number of new market niches for its propulsion equipment, including LNG carriers, ice class tankers and RoRo ships. Market watchers have been bullish on the prospects for the LNG niche for a number of years, a prediction supported by a record level of newbuild order for LNG tankers. As oil prices rise and remain high, the demand for LNG will grow proportionately. Traditionally, LNG carriers have been driven by steam propulsion, however diesel engine man- ufacturers have made significant progress in recent years. MAN B&W currently has orders for more than 70 engines to power new LNG carriers. One of the biggest challenges for the engine maker and its licensees during this period has simply been keeping up with demand. While Grøne said that the company's Chinese shipyard licensees are all currently expanding capacity to increase capacity and reduce delivery time, there has been a shortage from sub-suppliers in recent years, particular- ly crankshafts. And while there is a push for engine building expansion, much of it is for the larger two-stroke engines, resulting in a shortage of capacity on the medium and small engine niches. Development of the Mk9 For a number of years the large engine types of MAN B&W have been stable in 28 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News MAN B&W Diesel 7S65ME-C on testbed at Hitachi-Zosan after type test. MAN B&W’s Danish headquarters. MAN B&W Raises the Mark After an intensive R&D effort, the modernized K80/90 and S80 engines are significantly lighter yet more powerful. S80ME-C K80ME-C K90ME K90ME-C Power, kW per cyl . . . . . . . . .4510 . . . . . .4530 . . . . . .5720 . . . . . .5730 Speed (rpm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 . . . . . . .104 . . . . . . . .94 . . . . . . .104 Bore (mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800 . . . . . . .800 . . . . . . .900 . . . . . . .900 Stroke (mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3450 . . . . . .2600 . . . . . .2870 . . . . . .2600 Mep (bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 . . . . . . . .20 . . . . . . . .20 . . . . . . . .20 Pmax (bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 . . . . . . .160 . . . . . . .160 . . . . . . .160 Mps (m/s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . .9 Length (7 cyl.) (mm) . . . . . .12034 . . . . .12034 . . . . .13395 . . . . .13395 MR JULY2006 #4 (25-32).qxd 7/5/2006 11:51 AM Page 28
